Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Day 1118 - Potty Im-poo-vment

Since the kids turned three, I decided I needed to really focus on their potty training. Although we have been putting the kids on the potty 4-5x a day, the only way they have been communicating to us that they have soiled their diapers is by farting. I figured I needed to do something else.

I took out some construction paper and made a little potty chart for Emma and Andrew. And at every 6th square, I drew a little picture that showed them what prize they would get (e.g. stickers, balloon, book, Lexus).

When I taped the potty chart to the wall, I said to the kids, "Each time you successful empty your bladder or bowels into the toilet, I hope these stickers and prizes will be enough positive reinforcement to encourage and motivate you to end your dependency with diapers." After they looked at me with confused eyes, I rephrased and said, "You crap, you win." And then they cheered.

Andrew was first to go on the potty. So I tried to make a big deal about it. I cheered Andrew, gave him a hug, and told him to go mock and humiliate Emma for not going on the potty yet. I probably should not have told Andrew to tease Emma because she ended up swatting Andrew with her princess wand for 20 minutes.

But all of that aggression must have helped because Emma also went on the potty! Once again, I tried to make her achievement into a big celebration. I cheered Emma, hugged her, and told her to humiliate Andrew. Once again that was a bad idea because Emma's idea of humiliation was to swat Andrew with her princess wand for another 20 minutes.

I'll keep you updated with their potty progress. My hope is that in several weeks, I can start to have the kids wear underwear during the daytime, but keep them in diapers at night. In other words, what Lisa and I do every day.